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No Butts About It
Keeping Teens and Tweens Smoke-free
By Gina Roberts-Grey
Teens and tweens smoke at bus stops, tucked behind dumpsters in the back of restaurants and convenient stores, and in their backyards when they're home alone. They concoct elaborate cover-ups, such as brushing their teeth and using mouthwash after every cigarette, frequently reapplying cologne and blaming the odor of smoke that lingers on their clothes on a stranger who sat near them in a restaurant.
Tom Shanski, spokesperson for the United States Fire Administration says that every year more than 1000 children under the age of 18 are injured as a direct result of youth smoking. "Every year, participating in or being in the presence of, careless youth smoking leads to injury or death in smokers under the age of 18," he says. Further emphasizing his passionate stance, Shanski adds, "Every incidence of a child being burned, or in a fire started by children smoking is 100-percent preventable. We need to take a definitive stance against youths beginning smoking to prevent further injuries or deaths as a result of teen smoking related fires."
Although children who live with one or more people that smoke have a higher risk of smoking themselves, many children who grow up in smoke-free environments take up this risky habit. "Children who struggle to cope with stress, or alleviating stress, and those who have extreme difficulties in school are at risk to start smoking even if they live in a smoke free home," says Dr. Michelle Splitt, child and family therapist in Annapolis, Md.
Contrary to beliefs that onlyyoung boys use smoking as a tool to boost their image, esteem or "cool factor," Splitt adds that girls are just as likely to smoke as boys. "Girls are more easily addicted to nicotine than boys, and female smokers are more likely to die of lung cancer than males who smoke the same number of cigarettes," she says. In 1977, 40 percent of girls smoked, however this number decreased to 26 percent in 1992. Five years later the percentage of girls smoking jumped up to 35 percent in 1997. One reason for this alarming statistic is the tremendous amount of advertising aimed at seducing girls into smoking because it is sexy, fun or a way to show their independence.